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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24668248">Distorta Speculum Tenebrae</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/asparagusmama/pseuds/asparagusmama'>asparagusmama</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lewis (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bit Meta, Fluff, Multi, discussions on racism, dopplelganger, double</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:29:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24668248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/asparagusmama/pseuds/asparagusmama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a trying day at work, our heroes relax in Laura's house, slumped in front of the TV, and are surprised to see James double on Question Time.</p><p>The new chapter sees Maddox return to the office, fuming at an article about an actor who looks the spit of her boss (rating changed only due to one particular swear word)</p><p>This could be considered slightly Laurence Fox bashing, although it is only his naïve white fragility that is dealt with, not him as a person, but if your love for the actor is unconditional and all encompassing, please just keep on scrolling :) x</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Hathaway &amp; Lizzie Maddox, James Hathaway/Laura Hobson/Robert Lewis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Distorta Speculum Tenebrae</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I surprised myself that I accidently wrote an OT3, not something I usually ship. lol!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a long night working on the new murder case, so James agreed to stay over with Robert and Laura. The case had involved a child, and consequently they were all drained and emotional, so opted for a takeaway, as none of them, that was, Laura or James, felt up to cooking. They just sprawled lazily, eating out of containers on the squashy old sofa that was all the furniture Robert had brought with him to Laura’s new home. Laura clicked the TV on just as BBC South was coming to an end.</p><p>“Thank God we missed the item on our case,” Laura said, opening another beer, as the music faded away and a pretty young woman in a red dress promised sleet and a sharp frost in the south.</p><p>“Bound to have been top billing, probably, being a kiddie…” Robert said, then, from Laura’s face, “Sorry, love.” They were just investigating, had been at the scene after the young copper who found her, the SOCOs and so on. Laura had to do so much more that day. She hated them, even if the child had died of what turned out to be natural causes. A fourteen year old who died of a heart attack had had her sleepless and knocking back the booze too much for weeks a while back, soon after they had returned from New Zealand.</p><p>“M’mm,” James agreed, not really listening, as he had built a big wall around the case in his mind for the night, and was just wondering if there was anything sweet in the kitchen, chocolate preferably for comfort. Robert was a bit of a Mars Bar addict and, shoot him for being sexist, Laura was a woman and bound to have comfort chocolate somewhere. He stood up, pushing down on Robert’s knee, who was sat in the middle of the sofa, legs sprawled out, giving both him and Laura a little space to perch each end.</p><p>“Where are you off to?” he asked James.</p><p>“I need something sweet, preferable chocolate.”</p><p>“Huge selection of Hotel Chocolat in the back of the tin cupboard,” Laura replied, “Or some mini Mars Bars if you prefer in the biscuit barrel on the side. Bring me some posh rose creams, will you?”</p><p>James nodded, and went to the kitchen, just as the theme tune of Question Time started up. When he came back with the chocolate, and a packet of Bourbon biscuits he also found, he heard the most mysterious conversation.</p><p>“He looks like James.”</p><p>“A bit,” Laura replied.</p><p>“Howay! The spit. If James never cut his hair or shaved and was dragged through a hedge backwards. Who the hell is he? Never heard of this actor.”</p><p>“I don’t know, wasn’t he in that historical thing on ITV a while back? Don’t really watch much TV.”</p><p>James walked in and looked at the screen, but a politician was talking. He sat down and put the sweet goodies on the coffee table, moving takeaway foil containers and cardboard boxes aside. Laura immediately routed around in the white Hotel Chocolat bag for her rose creams, and Robert attacked the Borbons. James selected a dark chocolate ginger bar, which he nearly choked on when a blond man, an actor, apparently, started spouting the most ridiculous views in response the audience question. He did indeed look like a shaggy, unkempt, version of himself.</p><p>Naturally, given what was happening in the news, a question about Prince Harry and his wife came up, and James’ blood pressure went through the roof!</p><p>“How can that dickhead get away with such shit! There speaks the voice of white privilege if I ever heard it! My God, will he shut up! How can he look like me! Why isn’t he challenged?!”</p><p>“You not watched this show, pet, they adore Nigel Farage, they push anti-European, xenophobic, anti-immigrant and racist shit all the time,” Robbie said.</p><p>“So true,” Laura said, “I blame that woman for Brexit.”</p><p>“Just don’t get Laura started on Brexit,” Robbie teased, smiling at her.</p><p>“Well! You don’t work with the NHS, and seen the depletion…” she began, but James did not hear.</p><p>“Fucks sake,” he yelled at the TV, “of course you are not a victim of racism, you fucking stupid prick! Institutional and covert racism is all around you, moron! Pointing out that to you, in your little privileged, wealthy, arts, bubble haven’t a clue world is not racism. Suck it up and listen to someone who deals with the subtle art of British racism all her life, dickhead! How dare he look like me!”</p><p>“Who are you to criticise, we are all white and privileged in this room,” Laura said, reaching over Robbie to pat his knee. “Just calm down, dear.”</p><p>“Sorry, but racism makes me angry, and that actor looks like me, so it just got to me. Of course, I’m white, but I know I have white privilege – being a scholarship brat at school, I could ape the posh boys and lie about my background and not suffer the innate classism of this horrible country. Do you think Jonjo could do the same? You can only be anti-racist if you see it, acknowledge it, even in yourself.”</p><p>“Well, I’m not racist, lived my whole life trying not to be, not to see colour,” Robbie said, “but aye, it does exist.”</p><p>“You think that Robert, but I’ve noticed you are almost four times as likely to use the cuffs on a BAME suspect than you are a white, all the time I was your sergeant." </p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Yes,” James went on, “And you have to see colour, how else can you challenge racism in people around you – in yourself! And you plainly do see it, you’re not blind Robert!”</p><p>“I’ll try to do better,” Robbie replied, thinking, shocked at himself, he hadn’t noticed. He tried to cast his mind back, did he cuff BAME arrestees more?</p><p>Laura squeezed his hand, and said, “Subtle, covert, institutional, unconscious, racism is in all of us, Robbie, don’t feel bad. A lot of my students are Muslim women, but I still have to give myself little pep talks that they are as free and as liberated as me, not oppressed by husbands or fathers.”</p><p>“Hijab is a spiritual choice, like the veil of nuns…” James began.</p><p>“Stop him, before he goes off into a theological lecture,” Robbie said, winking at the two of them.</p><p>“I know that,” Laura said, “but my younger  radical feminist student days self from the 80s has another voice. White middle-class women also have privilege even in a movement for equality like feminism.”</p><p>“You were radical? Did you wear dungarees and big boots? Did you have spiky hair too?” Robbie asked, laughing, picking up the remote. “Ah, let’s get rid of these toss pots, James’ racist double an’ all,” and he channel surfed until he found a crime drama. Laura immediately started to laugh at what the pathologist was saying, so they stayed there, Laura putting her feet up and curling into Robbie’s right side, James snuggling and putting his head on Robbie’s left shoulder. He put an arm around them both, and in no time he was asleep. James and Laura, meanwhile, sniggered more and more at the lack of police procedure and science, but quietly, so not disturb their sleeping old man.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was inspired by my daughter's indepth lecture, "How James Hathaway and Laurence Fox are totally different people and why Hathaway is not racist dick," after Fox's incredible white fragility Twitter explosion left me really struggling to write in my favourite fandom. I wasn't going to post it, but black lives matter happened, so I thought, why not. I have moderated comments, it is not something I usually do, as I am happy to engage with everyone, but not this, so if your love for Fox is unconditional to the point of defending the undefendable beyond he is naïve and misguided, I will not engage with you. I left 2 fan groups I was a member of, as his defenders crossed the boundaries to far more racist comments than he ever made, and could not bother speaking up, although I have tried to challenge racism all my life wherever I find it, but I am really not well enough to engage pointlessly these days. One can say one is not racist, and fair enough, you think you 'do not see colour' and treat everyone the same, but to be anti racist, you need to see colour, to challenge racism, and to listen to your BAME/POC friends and respect their experiences. Lecture over. Sorry.</p><p>Also, the only academic suspect Lewis ever handcuffed was played by Sanjeev Bhaskar, whose character was innocent. Food for thought...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. rassistische sende böse doppel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eight months later, Maddox comes back into the office with the evening edition of the local paper and accuses her boss of being related to the actor double and demands now if he shares his 'twin's' views. Reading the article, Hathaway sees red!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In a universe just to the left of us, where everything is the same, apart from there is no pandemic - no other changes, no airships, or talking beasts and walking trees, or the Magisterium in charge at all :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maddox returned from a coffee and food run – they were staying late to go through all the witness statements with a fine tooth comb to find a possible window for their suspect to have slipped away from the college feast without being noticed – and slapped a newspaper down in front of Hathaway.</p><p>“Are you related to this Nigel Farage lite, Sir? Coz this racist arsehole is the spit of you.”</p><p>Hathaway looked at the newspaper, folded open on a page with the actor he had seen some months ago on Question Time. A large photo of not quite but almost his face grinned up. The actor had tidied himself up a bit, and was apparently now launching a party called Reclaim, as in reclaim white cishet wealthy male privilege from all those other pesky humans who had the audacity to want to be treated with respect and dignity, from what he could gather from a quick skim read. He groaned and thumped his head down on the desk.</p><p>“No, not at all,” he moaned.</p><p>“What he is saying is offensive shit, you know that, right?”</p><p>Hathaway sat up in his chair and tossed the paper in the bin. “Yes Maddox, he is a spoilt, over-privilege pathetic excuse of a man, and not in the least connected to me. I never even heard of him until I saw him on Question Time claiming the UK was not in the least racist or xenophobic – what is he, blind? I am frankly stunned to think you might think I think like him.” Hathaway snorted, his sentence had run away with him. He looked up at his sergeant. “For the record, I can only apologise on behalf of my gender and race, and I’d happily extent my ciswhite male privilege to everyone, everywhere, equality and rights are not a fucking pie, are they, it’s not going to run out. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what is wrong with that cunt?”</p><p>“Well, one thing is for certain, Sir.”</p><p>“What’s that?”</p><p>“He’ll never act again.”</p><p>“What’s that to do with me? Was he any good, I never saw him in anything?”</p><p>Maddox thought, “So so,” she said. “Was in that historical thing on ITV. Usually played over-privileged posh jerks though, so maybe not. Sorry, if I offended you Sir. He could be your twin, and it’s not like I haven’t met racist or sexist or classist, or even northern haters, in my time on the force, sir.”</p><p>“Or in life in general, no doubt,” Hathaway said. “As you know, I tick three out of the four magic boxes of privilege, and as the GPA gossip goes, I live in Narnia, so don’t let that annoying missing golden ticket affect me,” he drawled sarcastically. “I know I lead a charmed life.” He shrugged.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say charmed, exactly, Sir,” Maddox replied. “From what I can gather, you’ve been through some tough shit, even as a child.”</p><p>“But none of it was due to the colour of my skin, was it? None of it institutionalised and normalised was it? God, we’ve a long way to go, even here. Stephen Lawrence Inquiry seems sometimes to do nothing. If you have any issues with anyone, tell me, Maddox, okay?”</p><p>Maddox shrugged, “It’s not here,” she gestured around her, not adding, at least not since Chief Superintendent Innocent left,  although whether she was classist, racist, anti-northern, or the entire package rolled into one Oxford old girl, Maddox had never been sure, but she had overheard the odd Geordie snipe to Lewis, so the subtle put-downs had not only been about her colour, “but out there, in the colleges, I get that stupid double take, like they want to check I am genuinely a CID officer, but are too polite. At least arresting some drunk ordinary person, they call you the n-word out in the open.”</p><p>“The English middle and upper classes are masters at the subtle slight, and they’ve been teaching it here for centuries,” Hathaway quipped. “Not that our esteemed Bullingdon boy Prime Minister is good at subtle, is he?”</p><p>Maddox thought about phrases like ‘watermelon pickininy smiles’ and ‘walking black letter boxes’, and agreed wholeheartedly, nodding. “It’s all going to shit,” she said, philosophically.</p><p>“Oh, let’s not talk about this any more,” Hathaway said, growing depressed. He added decisively, “I promise that racist, classist, sexist, pillock of an actor is not me, not connected to me, not remotely related to me, and I am appalled I have a moronic racist Doppeltgänger! Now, what did you manage to get us to eat?”</p><p>“Nearly everywhere was closed Sir, had to go all the way down to Art – ordered several paninis and baguettes, keep us going – as long as it takes, you said - there’s roast beef, pastrami, cheese, bacon, tuna, take your pick,” she said, putting the paper bags down on his desk.</p><p>He grinned up at her, and picked one at random, “I’ll take pot-luck,” he said, and found he’d chosen pastrami and avocado. “How hipster,” he chuckled. “Grab what you want, and sit down, I have sent you over two statements with contradictory ‘facts’ underlined, I want your opinion if they are just mistakes, or his secretary is providing false information.”</p><p>“Right you are, then, Sir,” Maddox said, also going for pot-luck, choosing a sandwich, putting the rest in the carrier bag, picking up her coffee, and going over to her desk, where she slipped off her coat and logged on.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I wrote this a few weeks ago in response to more from Fox, and it was cathartic. I avoid the news, and am holed up alone, shielding, not really talking to people much even in cyberspace or the old fashioned telephonic device, so was startled when a friend messaged me out of the blue saying he had gone full anti vax now too! Which is why I decided to post. It feels beyond the pale - weird, I know, but also, weirdly, my daughter and I find their father being an flat Earther more hard to deal with that the fact he is a rapist and a paedophile. Maybe it is easier to get mad at the smaller thing? Who knows? Our Hathaway fics helped us heal, and we don't want to lose that, whatever Fox may say or think!</p><p>I know Hathaway is harsh in this chapter, but I have no wish to 'cancel' or attack in any personal way the person of Laurence Fox. If anything, I feel pity and compassion for a person so obviously being groomed, like so many are, in these frightening times, by online fake news, propaganda and lies. I  know his family has experienced loss, and I send my love to the Foxes in their grief. Perhaps his family can get him into some kind of deprogramming therapy one day? Of course, he is a sheltered, privileged, rich boy, and it is harder to walk in another's shoes if you know little of others lives. Although he did refuse to listen to his brother in law, who does know a thing or two about living as a BAME person in the UK, funnily enough. My wish here is for myself and my daughter, that since they was 8, for the last 13 years, we have shared the Lewis fandom. I made up stories for them as a child and it kept them calm. Writing them I discovered kept me sane too. Now, at 21, alone in London, dealing with illnesses, disabilities and learning disabilities alone, I write for them to read on the bus, as I wrote for them to keep them still and calm all those years ago. I don't wish the obnoxious views of the actor to undermine that peace our love of the character to be destroyed by those views.</p><p>I have changed the rating from Teen to Mature due to one use of the c-word!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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